Celts, Britons and Barbarians: Iron Age Europe in context

Module code: AR2033

In this module we will examine the archaeological evidence for Iron Age and Roman societies in Britain and north-west Europe from c.800 BC to AD 500 - and the current theories and debates around this evidence. We will focus in particular on the nature of Iron Age societies and their links with the Classical world; on Roman expansion and how this impacted on native societies beyond the frontiers; and on the diversity and changing character of provincial settlement, religion and the economy during the high empire and into the late Roman period. We will also discuss the nature of Roman conquest and imperialism as well as developments in perspectives and frameworks used to understand these processes - including recent advances in our understanding of material through an evaluation of the archaeological information in its wider historical context.

Topics covered

• Development of the chronology of Iron Age archaeology
• Interaction between Iron Age Europe and the Mediterranean
• Identity and the life course in the Iron Age and Roman periods
• Settlement archaeology in northwest Europe in the Iron Age and Roman Empire
• Expansion of the Roman Empire and theories of interaction
• Iron Age and Roman material culture